India mulls plans for Greater Noida airport

The new facility would be located close to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport

The Indian government is considering plans for a major new airport in the Greater Noida area, close to Delhi.

Dr Mahesh Sharma, India’s Minister of Tourism & Culture who also holds responsibility for civil aviation, told the Times of India recently that the plans form part of the government’s mission to modernise India’s infrastructure.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen to develop world class infrastructure in the country, which will help generate jobs,” Sharma told the newspaper in an interview. “I guess within a month, a proposal will be finalised and discussed at a higher level.”

Plans for an airport in Greater Noida initially surfaced in 2001, but there has been debate over the wisdom of developing one major international gateway so close to another – Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Dr Sharma however, believes there is a need for the second hub.

“Strategically, Noida and Greater Noida have great potential to generate more jobs in north India,” he stated. “There is a need to develop an airport in this belt.”

Greater Noida has become a major development zone, housing many multinational companies, shopping malls, hospitals and even India’s Formula One motor racing track, the Buddh International Circuit.